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08/23/2018 12:00 AMNorth Branford softball Head Coach Nick DeLizio knew that Olivia Hemstock had the potential to become a special player when she stepped on the field for her freshman season. Olivia promptly earned a starting job and went on to have an excellent career in which she established herself as one of the best players in the state, while helping the T-Birds achieve an unprecedented level of success.
Olivia capped off her high-school career by earning a host of accolades this spring, including a spot on the All-State Class M Team and the All-Shoreline Conference First Team, in addition to winning the Shoreline Conference Player of the Award. Along the way, she guided North Branford to an undefeated regular season and the team’s fourth consecutive Shoreline title.
“I was definitely surprised. I was happy to get it, considering [teammate Sydney Senerchia] got Pitcher of the Year. It’s a nice feeling for her to get that and me to get Player of the Year on top of that,” says Olivia on being named the top player in the Shoreline Conference. “I think it was special, because there were great athletes on other teams I know I beat out not by much. It’s a great feeling to earn that honor.”
Olivia set the tone for a great run with the Thunderbirds by batting .344 during her freshman year. She wasn’t expecting to start as a freshman, but Olivia says that her teammates made her feel at ease about jumping into the varsity fray at a young age.
“It was really awesome. Everybody made it easy to feel comfortable,” Olivia says. “Their support and encouragement helped me work harder and compete with the other girls on the team.”
Olivia is the third member of her family to play for the North Branford softball squad, joining her sisters Sam and Sarah, the latter who was a senior during Olivia’s freshman season. Coach DeLizio says it proved hugely beneficial for Olivia to come from a family that has such an extensive pedigree in the sport.
“Sam was a prominent softball player for us, and she played college ball. Sarah was a senior captain when Olivia was a freshman, so she knew coming in what it takes to play at the varsity level,” says DeLizio. “To have role models, especially when they’re family, helps one to grow. Early on freshman year, you could tell Olivia had that edge over many freshmen. She was ready to play off the bat.”
Olivia’s freshman season was a historic one that saw the T-Birds win the first of their four straight Shoreline Conference Tournament titles. Throughout her tenure with North Branford, Olivia and her teammates compiled a combined record of 94-13.
“It means a lot, considering my freshman year, North Branford wasn’t recognized for its softball program. That was the first year we showed we could compete with everyone else,” Olivia says. “Freshman year was really exciting, sophomore and junior year was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we won it again,’ but senior year topped it all off. It was great to end the career with.”
Olivia served as a senior captain for North Branford this spring. While Olivia was expecting the T-Birds to have another solid year, even she was surprised to see them reel off an unblemished regular season.
“We knew this year was going to be really successful, but we didn’t know we’d go undefeated in our regular season,” says Olivia, who’s played second base, shortstop, and right field for North Branford. “Being able to go undefeated was a really good feeling. We knew we had great players and we knew we could come out strong every game and have a successful season.”
Olivia batted .438 while leading North Branford with 39 hits, 34 runs scored, 25 RBI, and 11 stolen bases this year. Along with her other honors, Olivia made the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team, was selected to play in the Class S-M Senior All-Star Game, and was also presented with North Branford’s Desire and Dedication Award. For her career, she batted .415 on 149 hits, including six home runs, to go with 146 runs, 92 RBI, and 23 stolen bases.
“I knew from the start I was a pretty good hitter. As the years went on, I progressed and, honestly, it was Sydney’s father who helped me a lot,” says Olivia, who made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team as a junior. “When I was struggling, he would help me out. I knew he was always behind the backstop, and he’d give me hints on what to do and what to look for, and that helped a lot.”
Looking forward, Olivia is going to play softball and study dental hygiene at Penn College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Olivia feels thankful for the opportunity to keep her career going and is already eager to hit the field next spring.
“It was hard to find an out-of-state Division III school with my major, so I have to thank my travel coach for helping me find this opportunity,” Olivia says. “I’m really excited. Obviously, I’m nervous, but I know playing these past high-school seasons and travel ball since I was 10 have made we well prepared. I would say I’m ready.”